Confession has been present from the early days of the Christian faith, but for some time was performed in public and/or could only be partaken of once in a Christian’s life. Baptism was delayed until death so Constantine, along with those who thought like him and likewise wished to live as they pleased, could avoid the heavy penances that would come following the sacrament of confession.

Actually, public penance and confession occurred long before Christ. Repentance and confession are shown in Nehemiah 9:1-3, which detail historical events in Israel after their return from the Babylonian exile (from about 538 BC to 410 BC*)